Monday, November 30, 2009

Ben McCool writer of the upcoming Choker limited series for Image (with art by Ben Templesmith) has just added himself to the list of awesome creators that will be signing at our 2nd anniversary party on December 17th. As the book itself has not been released yet he will be signing Liberty Comics #2 wh...ich contains a 5 page exclusive Choker prequel story. www.chokercomic.com

Sunday, November 29, 2009

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and made it through Black Friday madness. Now that you've had enough to eat and by this point I'm sure you've read your books for the week I can safely talk about this weeks books without ruining anything for anyone. This week was huge so let's get to it shall we..

New Mutants #7

Last issue we saw the return and "demise" of Cypher and Warlock. Cypher has been resurrected by Selene and had one mission; Kill Magma. He made his way into the X-Men's base on Utopia and beat her bloody. Warlock showed up and Cypher torn his robotic friends head off. This issue picks up right from that point. Cypher begins to fight the techno organic virus that Selene used to reanimate everyone. Small pieces of Warlock seem to be helping him fight off the virus and show his true self. The Hellions show up to retrieve Cypher and to make sure he completed his mission. It's a fight all us old school New Mutants fans have been waiting for AGAIN! This time around the New Mutants are the one's who come out on top. Fighting to get Magma to the infirmary. Cypher is grabbed by the Hellions and they attempt to reboot him but he seems to be fighting it off.I'm happy to see all these old faces and teams and it's interesting to see the Mutant population grow to what it was before M-Day but Necrosha so far isn't bringing anything new to the table aside from bringing back characters that we all thought were dead. It really taints the idea of your favorite characters dying just to be used as cannon fodder in a storyline six months later. I truly hope it goes show where with a better point than to just bring back everyone that's died.

3 out of 5

Image United #1

Let's take a step back in time for one minute. 1992, I was in Third grade and all I knew was The X-Men, Spider-Man and The Avengers were my savior in school. I would hide them in my binder and when the teachers weren't looking I'd read as much as I could. I had heard that the artists who drew comics at Marvel were going over to some company called IMAGE. When Spawn first hit the stands I almost crapped myself. I'd never seen anything so dark and gritty aside from Batman: The Killing Joke, which was my first comic ever..Weird huh?...anyways, then Savage Dragon came along with WildC.A.T.S, Youngblood, Shadowhawk, Cyberforce and eventually Wetworks. I had found my company. I felt like I had found my own comics. These were all new characters drawn and written by amazing people and I was on the ground floor to awesomeness. 17 years later and I own and still collect every one of those books. This week we're given such an amazing book. Image United pits all those characters (minus The Wildstorm universe because Jim Lee sold them all to DC) together to fight a unknown force. Unlike any other crossover or guest staring book, it's drawn by the very creators who made Image and these characters what they are. This is written by Robert Kirkman, who has said in tons of interviews that he's been a fan of Image and it's stable of characters since day one. This is the truest form of adoration for a set of characters and a company. This is Image's equivalent to "Contest of Champions" or "Crisis on Infinite Earths". This is a DO NOT MISS BOOK!

5 out of 5

Powers (vol. 3) #1

YES! FINALLY!! I absolutely love this book and I was sad to hear that it was going to be canceled because Bendis and Oeming's schedules couldn't meet a monthly ship date and they felt it wasn't fair to fans to make us all wait 3 months or more for the next issue. Lucky for us they found the time to get their $%#& together and now this week we're given a brand new volume with a brand new number one. the story picks up right where issue 30 left off. Walker is partnered up with Enki Sunrise former Internal Affairs agent. They work the Powers cases, Super powered people cases. Deena Pilgrim isn't in the first issue neither is the new Retro Girl but we're promised they're going to be a major part in the book. They found the cure to the Powers virus (a virus that gave people a form of powers, like Electro but eventually you die from it) and the weirdest scene in this issue is Walker having sex with his girlfriend and she's got the powers virus all the while he's having flashbacks of his former lives (Walker is an immortal who doesn't remember all his past lives just bits and pieces.)Needless to say I truly recommend this book and if you've never read it before start from the begining and ask your significant other, mom, dad or whoever to get you all the trades for Christmas!

5 out of 5

Justice League Of America #39

The dead are rising from their graves and causing death and destruction, who better to draw Zombified versions of heroes and villains than Mark Bagley. The remaining team of Zatanna, Dr Light, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Gypsy and Vixen head over to the Hall of Justice looking for Firestorm and to find out if the graves of the dead villains they house there have opened and the villains returned from the dead. Zatanna fights her dead father Zatara as he tries to kills the team. Dr. Light fights the evil Dr. Light and the rest of the team takes on the reanimated corpses of former Justice Leaguers Vibe and Steel. It's not a great issue but it's cool for what it's worth. I was hoping to see this particular book more involved in the core story of Blackest Night itself instead of having it's own side story.

3 out of 5

Teen Titans #77

Taking a break from the ongoing tragedy that is the Teen Titans, J.T Krul and Joe Bennett give us an awesome story about Deathstroke and Rose battling each other and the reanimated corpses of Grant Wilson, Wade Wilson, Adeline Wilson, Wintergreen and the newly dead Jericho. The cover to this issue throws you off because it's all the dead Titans who returned in "Blackest Night Titans". The story is an awesome all out battle between Deathstroke, Rose and The Black Lantern versions of their disfunctional family. Definitely a great issue for long time fans of The Teen Titans.

5 out of 5

Green Lantern #48

Following Atrocitus to Okkara, homeworld of Agent Orange, we continue to see that the Black Lanterns have no power over his rage. The other lanterns show up to calm him down and collect the two of them to go off and find the source of the Black rings and destroy it. They finally have to restrain Atrocitus and promise Agent Orange that he'll be given a guardian as soon as everything is taken care of..if they survive. Now on Ryut, the homeworld of Atrocitus, Sayd and Gathet get to see first hand what the Manhunters did to a peaceful planet that didn't deserve the death sentence it given. Indigo 1 channels the black ring once they find that the source is no longer on Ryut and they realize all hell is breaking loose on Earth. It's now or never. This issue is awesome. The in-fighting between Sinestro, Atrocitus, Hal and Larfleeze is great. Sinestro blames Hal for everything that's going on and says that "Abin Sur wasn't trying to stop the Blackest Night but was trying to stop him" In many ways it is Hal Jordan's fault for blindly following the Guardians for so long and it's the Guardians fault because they thought they could be the judges of everything in the universe.

5 out of 5

Blackest Night #5

*MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!!*

This is the issue that will be talked about for years to come. I waited all week to let everyone get their fix and to read this because it's so crazy that everyone needs to have already read this so I don't spoil it for you.

Coast City were so many people died is now ground zero for Nekron and his Black Lantern Corps. The Black Lantern Battery has manifested itself on Earth and the shit has officially hit the fan. Barry Allen really plays the linchpin in this series thus far. From being one of the first heroes to die saving his friends and family during a major Crisis and now being "Reborn", he is the catalyst. What his ultimate purpose is we'll just have to wait and see.The seven Lantern's of the different colors finally arrive and begin what they think is the end assault on The Black Battery when in fact they are giving Nekron more power and in doing so they give him the ability to...RESURRECT BRUCE WAYNE AS A BLACK LANTERN!Black Hand has been carrying around Bruce's skull since issue one and we didn't know what purpose it had but finally we find out what it was for all along.Bruce begins to spew out Black Rings.In doing so an "emotional tether" is registered between all the heroes and Black Lantern Batman but here's the kicker, Everyone has died at least once.Wonder Woman, Superman, Superboy, Impulse, Green Arrow, Animal Man, Ice and Donna Troy. They've all died and come back. Nekron says to everyone "You all fail to realize you didn't escape death, You are still connected to it, to me. I put myself between you and everlasting death. I allowed your numerous resurrections, now DIE."He then puts Bruce Wayne back to rest which leaves a lot to be questioned like why? Is that really Bruce? The last time we saw "Bruce" he was cave painting a bat signal on the last page of Final Crisis. What's going on? When he gets "re-killed" his connection is severed. Meaning the emotional tether is gone.Everyone "dies" and becomes a Black Lantern and they'll help Nekron in revealing the Guardians big secret and return the universe to darkness. Now Hal and Barry have to run because they have rings looking for them too.

Next Month cannot come soon enough. This issue was Gigantic. Geoff Johns has really taken this story, these characters and the entire DCU and made it his own personal playground. If you disagree your CRAZY!

5 out of 5

with that said that's all for me folks. Did anyone notice who's the Creator of the Month @ CBJ? WARREN ELLIS!!! TOLD YA HE'S THE MAN!

Friday, November 27, 2009

The madness of Thanksgiving and Black Friday are finally over but now it's time to sink even deeper into the pit of holiday hell! Christmas, Hanukkah and all those other crazy holidays are right around the corner. Sure, we'll be there for all your shopping needs but we've gotta have some fun to keep ourselves sane, right? Well don't worry because we've got our "Evening with Socko Jones" Tailgate party and our biggest event of the year, the Second Anniversary party, all coming up this month. Hot dog! Keep reading for additional info!

Also, and this is very important, books and other new stuff will be released on Thursday, December 3rd because of the previous week's holidays.

"AN EVENING WITH SOCKO JONES" TAILGATE

It seems like it's been forever since we've had a tailgate party and the one we wanted to do conflicts with out 2nd anniversary bash (Avatar). So, we figured we would do one just to do one on Thursday, December 10th since it's been so damn long. Here's the deal, we're going to have "An Evening with Socko Jones" in which he'll essentially have his own talk show at the store. There will be dramatic stories, interviews, tales of love lost and an undying passion to bringing comics to the masses. So join us for this special event. We'll have free food, drinks and of course our obligatory special sale where we pick a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be anywhere between 15%-70% off! Don't miss it!

SECOND ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Thursday, December 17th marks our two year anniversary. Last year's event was huge and this year its going to be even bigger! The first phase of the day begins at the store where we'll be having a killer signing and a 25% off everything specialsale throughout the day. We've just added some more creators, here's the full lineup:

Mike Cruz (Million Dollar Eyes)

Evan Dorkin (Beasts of Burden, Milk & Cheese)

Bryan J.L. Glass (Mice Templar)

Ken Haeser (Living Corpse)

Buz Hasson (Living Corpse)

Mike Lilly (Black Terror, Detective Comics, Nightwing)

Stephen Lindsay (Ham & Eggs, Jesus Hates Zombies)

Lauren Monardo (Ham & Eggs, Venture Bros.)

Alex Robinson (A Kidnapped Santa Claus, Box Office Poison)

The day doesn't end there though! Once we close our doors for the evening we will then be embarking to Cargo Cafe for a couple of drinks and celebratory tomfoolery so if you're of age make sure you come down and hang with us. As we get more information on this special day we'll be sure to send it to ya!

CBJ GRAPHIC NOVEL AND TRADE RENTAL PROGRAM

Alright, the rental program is finally in full force! We here at Comic Book Jones are now giving you the option of renting graphic novels and trade paperbacks. It's a very simple system and we hope that you become a part of it and help it grow into something great. This is meant as a way to get you into books you wouldn't normally read, try stuff before you buy and/or catch up on a series you might be behind on.

Here's the breakdown of how it all works. All you have to do is pay $20 to join. With your initial membership you receive 10 points. All rentable books have a point value assigned to them depending on their monetary value. All rentals are for 3 days. When you've used up all your points you can buy more. The more points you buy at once, the more points you'll get for your money. So, with that said:

If you find that you like a book so much that you have to buy it, get a load of this - the cost of the rental will be deducted from a BRAND NEW COPY! How awesome is that?

In addition, if you have any old trade paperbacks, graphic novels or collections you don't want just bring them in and you will receive points towards the rental program. The selection of rentable titles is growing daily! Help yourself out by helping us and bring your old crummy books to the shop!

CREATOR OF THE MONTH - WARREN ELLIS

We're very pleased to announce that our featured creator of the month for December 2009 is Warren Ellis. If you haven't read anything he's written, shame on you! His writing is absolutely awesome and perfect for the comic medium, some of our personal favorties include Transmetropolitan, Planetary and Freakangels. All of these books and many more can be yours for 20% off through the month of December! Here's a quick look inside this colossus of the industry:

English author of comics, novels and television

Responsible for many of the most successful non-superhero related comics

Not afraid to explore the medium in new and exciting ways by contantly reinventing himself and his mode storytelling

Plain and simple, if you love comics you owe it to yourself to read at least one of his books, simply amazing!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Once upon a time in the halcyon days of yore (or even mine), the major Hollywood Studios owned and built chains of movie theaters. These were not the multiples cinemas today in which a theater might seat a few hundred people in what amounts to an over sized home theater. These theaters, called “Movie Palaces” were huge affairs that typically seated a few THOUSAND patrons. Patterned after Europe’s magnificent Opera Houses, the Movie Palace was a theater in every sense of the word. They were outfitted with orchestra pits, fully functional stages, huge pipe organs and state of the art equipment. Beyond the merely technical, luxury was the watchword. Ornate wall and ceiling art, massive chandeliers, plus seats, and restrooms that even had fireplaces(!) were common fare. Movie Palaces were as much about the experience of GOING to the theater as they were about the films. It was in venues like this that the names Chaplin and Chaney, Laurel and hardy, Bogart and Bacall became legendary. They were theaters as big as the starts that graced them.

In the late 1940’s, early 1950’s two events occurred that would spell the end of the Movie Palace. First was an anti-trust judgment that found that the major studios had created a monopoly by both creating films and owning the venues in which they were shown. The studios had to divest themselves of their Movie Palaces which were sold to other companies or to private owners.

The second event was the advent of television. In the 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s a family might be expected to attend a movie twice or three times a week. Now they were staying home in droves to watch the likes of Howdy Doody, the Adventures Of Superman, and I Love Lucy. The movie industry went into a slump as it tried desperately to form plans that would allow it to survive.And survive it did. There are some experiences that a movie, in a theater can provide, that television simply cannot. Not the least of which is the communal experience of seeing a film with an audience around you. However the movie industry DID change. In the 50’s (lasting to this day) a large segment of movies were targeted to younger audiences as “date” films. The rise of the Drive in Theater was a direct of the “date’ movie”. The advent of the “multiplex” allowed film to turn a profit for theater owners by letting them show many films at the same time. The movie industry is very healthy.

However, the Movie Palace largely went the way of the dinosaur. Expensive to maintain and limited in venue, they simply could not turn a profit. As the 60’s gave way to the 70’s more and more of the old palaces were sold, condemned or turned into multiplex theaters. However, over the years, dozens of old Movie Palaces have been restored to their former glory through the efforts of non-profit groups and 21st Century audiences can once again enjoy movies the way they were meant to be enjoyed.

I had the pleasure of attending one such theater, The Landmark Lowes in Jersey City, this past Saturday for a screening of Forbidden Planet presented on a 50’ wide screen using the original Perspecta Soundtrack (an early form of stereo requiring specialized vintage equipment). It was an amazing experience.

The Loew’s was also one of the best equipped theatres of its day. It was fitted with an arbor and metal cable counter-weight rigging system in its 80 foot high rigging loft, the same kind of system still in use in Broadway’s older houses. The stage lighting equipment was state of the art for 1929, having ten pre-sets. The Theatre’s stage was large for its day, measuring an average 35 feet deep by 82 feet wide, with a proscenium opening of an amazingly wide 50 feet. The orchestra pit included a main elevator plus a second one dedicated exclusively to the piano; overall, it was large enough for 40 musicians. The Loew’s backstage area included ten dressing rooms and a large rehearsal space. And of course, there was the projection booth, originally equipped with VitaPhone sound-on-disk projectors -- the first commercially successful “talking picture” equipment.

Prior to the film the audience was treated to a half hour of soaring music on the Wonder Morton Organ. This is a huge pipe organ meant to fill a huge theater like the Lowes, which sat as many as 3,100 patrons. The sound is not something that can be described. It has to be experienced.There were about a thousand people in the audience for the screening of the Sci-Fi classic, but they were not just genre fans. They were MOVIE fans, and well versed in the history of the cinema judging by the snippets of conversation that I overheard. For a film geek like me, this was heaven.

As for the film, let me just say that I have seen Forbidden Planet no less than 75 times in my life. I know every frame of this film backwards and forwards. I can recite almost every line of dialogue and have read every single article I could lay my hands on since I first saw this movie 5 times in a single week when it aired on The Million Dollar Movie (WOR Ch 9) in 1966. With all that said, experiencing Forbidden Planet in this theater with a LIVE audience was like seeing the movie for the first time. This is how movies are meant to be seen, on big screens, with a thousand or more people sitting together in the dark.

My joy was enhanced by the fact that MOST of these people seemed never to have seen the film before. They laughed in all the right places. They were on the edge of their seats in all the right places. There was an audible reaction when the beautiful Anne Francis makes her first appearance. And the audience went wild when Robby the Robot was introduced. The 98 minute film seemed to go by in about 98 seconds! And when it was over there was a rousing ovation, not just for the film, but for the theater.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Hello boys and girls. As I'm sure you can see Black Friday is almost upon us. Last year was insane and we weren't even a year old. This year I expect it to be even bigger, which is why we've increased the 40% off sale to two hours instead of one! Make sure you get here early! Be advised that anything that is on hold will be put out this coming Wednesday out of fairness to everyone. If you have a pull list don't worry, you're safe and your books will be left alone. Obviously, nothing can be put on hold for Black Friday as a result of this so don't try it!

All that aside we've got a killer week coming up (the delivery will be on time on Wednesday). A lot of really good stuff including a ton of Blackest Night tie-ins (+ #5) and some of those sought after 2nd printings, New Avengers, more Spider-Man Gauntlet, JLA, Iron Man, The Goon, etc. It's hard to look forward to a better week than this. So save up those hard earned dollars, pick up your books and get ready to swing into the holidays. From all of us at CBJ, have a Happy Thanksgiving!BLACK FRIDAY SUPER SALE!

As I mentioned above, this is going to be big. Make sure you get here as early as you can to save the most money and assure that you get what you want before it's gone!"AN EVENING WITH SOCKO JONES" TAILGATEIt's been so long since we've had a tailgate party and the one we wanted to do conflicts with out 2nd anniversary bash (Avatar) so we figured we would do one just to do one on Thursday, December 10th since it's been so damn long. So here's the deal, we're going to have "An Evening with Socko Jones" in which he'll essentially have his own talk show at the store. There will be dramatic stories, interviews, tales of love lost and an undying passion to bringing comics to the masses. So join us for this special event. We'll have free food, drinks and of course our obligatory special sale where we pick a number out of a hat and everything in the store will be anywhere between 15%-70% off! Don't miss it!SECOND ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Thursday, December 17th marks our two year anniversary. Last year's event was huge and this year its going to be even bigger! The first phase of the day begins at the store where we'll be having a killer signing and a (yet to be determined) specialsale throughout the day. We've just added some more creators, here's the full lineup:

Mike Cruz (Million Dollar Eyes)

Evan Dorkin (Beasts of Burden, Milk & Cheese)

Bryan J.L. Glass (Mice Templar)

Ken Haeser (Living Corpse)

Buz Hasson (Living Corpse)

Mike Lilly (Black Terror, Detective Comics, Nightwing)

Stephen Lindsay (Ham & Eggs, Jesus Hates Zombies)

Lauren Monardo (Ham & Eggs, Venture Bros.)

Alex Robinson (A Kidnapped Santa Claus, Box Office Poison)

The day doesn't end there though! Once we close our doors for the evening we will then be embarking to Cargo Cafe for a couple of drinks and celebratory tomfoolery so if you're of age make sure you come down and hang with us. As we get more information on this special day we'll be sure to send it to ya!CBJ GRAPHIC NOVEL & TRADE RENTAL PROGRAM

Alright, the rental program is finally in full force! We here at Comic Book Jones are now giving you the option of renting graphic novels and trade paperbacks. It's a very simple system and we hope that you become a part of it and help it grow into something great. This is meant as a way to get you into books you wouldn't normally read, try stuff before you buy and/or catch up on a series you might be behind on.

Here's the breakdown of how it all works. All you have to do is pay $20 to join. With your initial membership you receive 10 points. All rentable books have a point value assigned to them depending on their monetary value. All rentals are for 3 days. When you've used up all your points you can buy more. The more points you buy at once, the more points you'll get for your money. So, with that said:

If you find that you like a book so much that you have to buy it, get a load of this - the cost of the rental will be deducted from a BRAND NEW COPY! How awesome is that?

In addition, if you have any old trade paperbacks, graphic novels or collections you don't want just bring them in and you will receive points towards the rental program. As time goes on we'll have a large selection of books for you to rent so help yourself out by helping us and bring your old crummy books to the shop!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Oh Snap! What up World! What's doin kiddies? Some week huh.. The shelves were rockin yesterday and I've got something to say.

I'd just like to say that on Sunday I asked my girlfriend Lauren to take the plunge and become my wife. Thank God she said yes. So yeah, I just wanted to let you know that.

Now onto the show..

Recently, I've found myself emersed in reading old DC comics such as Doom Patrol, Suicide Squad, Azrael and Grant Morrison's JLA run. I love Marvel but with Blackest Night going on DC really has my attention to the point I'm digging up old stuff that is being referenced in some way or another.

What's up with all the hate? Where's the love? I got some love for you, right here in this awesome comic which I really wish was a monthly book already. Writer Stephen Lindsay continues the adventures of Jesus and his rag tag crew as they attempt to thwart the zombie apocalypse and send Abraham Lincoln back to his own time. This volume adds to the cast the heavenly presence of Frederick Douglas and Mother Teresa and a quick visit to "Aaron's house". The laughs keep rolling and it really makes you want to turn the page. The back up story of how Laz, Jesus' zombie buddy gets turned into a zombie is a pleasant surprise. I myself always wondered how he got "killed" and here we have it. If you've been sleeping on this book or are turned off by the name. STOP! Pick up the Jesus Hates Zombies: Those Slack Jaw Blues GN and you'll soon be another of the saviors flock.

5 out of 5.

Realm Of Kings One Shot.

Following the events of "War of kings", stems "Realm of kings". This one shot focuses on Quasar heading through the rift to explore where it goes and what's on the other side if in fact there is an other side. On the other side of the rift, Quasar first becomes flesh and blood which is a drastic change since he died back in Annihilation and has been a spectral form ever since. He then comes into contact with a obviously different incarnation of The Avengers. They've "sold their souls" to the ancient gods in return for power. They also plan on following Quasar's quantum trail back through the rift to take over and replace our earth. I have to say that I'm a little disappointed in this one shot. We still don't know what happened to Black Bolt and Vulcan after "War of kings". Did they die? Did they get sent through the rift? That's yet to be answered. Where's Adam Warlock? Didn't he become Magnus in Guardians of the Galaxy? Thus far, the concept of Realm of Kings is kinda distorted in my eyes. I mean following everything that's happened up until this point, should'nt it be a battle for control of the universe between the Shi'ar, Kree, Inhumans, The Negative Zone army and whoever else is looking to gain control. I'm sorry, cool story but it throws things off as far as what the hell is going on.

3 out of 5

Victorian Undead #1

Sherlock Holmes vs. Zombies. A meteroite falls from the sky and pieces break off and one just so happens to fall into a water well that sustains an English town. People begin dying and returning from the dead, "Who ya gonna call?" Sherlock Holmes! Holmes and Watson are called in to look at a man that died in police custody and mysteriously returns to life a mad undead raving lunatic. I've been looking forward to this book since I first heard about it. Ian Edginton is an amazing writer and I enjoy most if not all of his works. Sadly this book is a miniseries but a fun one at that, it's not all supercomputers and shady government projects. It's 1800's England with Zombies and Sherlock Holmes. What more can you ask for? Zombie Moriarty?

5 out of 5

Superman / Batman #66

Blackest night spreads and now involves Bizarro, Man-Bat and Black Lantern Solomon Grundy. These next two issues of the book will be drawn and written by Scott Kollins who also wrote and drew the 7 issue "Solomon Grundy" mini which revealed his origins and at the end made him a Black Lantern. It's a fun romp through Gotham as Bizarro looks for Grundy and Kirk Langstrom aka Man-Bat is hunted by his wife so she can cure him. I'm confused because Solomon Grundy has had many incarnations ranging from raging brute monster to calm, cool and calculating super villain. Kollins fails to establish which one he is and doesn't really establish anything. Anyone who didn't read the mini series is almost forced to do so because you have no idea what's going on. The recap at the begining is short and to the point but it doesn't give you any idea as to why Bizarro is looking for him or why Man-Bat is floating around Gotham when the last time you saw him was in the pages of "The Outsiders" when they were attempting to capture him. Maybe the next issue will be better but I didn't care for this issue and it's sad because Grundy as a Black Lantern could be so much cooler.

2 out of 5

Outsiders #24

Right from the start I felt that this was going to be a bad issue because on the cover it shows Black Lantern Terra holding her brother Geo Force and we've just seen her in the "Blackest Night: Titans" mini. Oddly enough, she shows up at the Outsiders base and begins to tell Geo Force what's going on, how it happened and that she just came from attempting to kill The Titans.

Awesome use of continuity! Finally someone's paying attention to the other books around them.

They attempt to sever the ring from her hand but as she had already told them it keeps growing back. I think it's a plot since she failed to get Beast Boy, she's now got her sights set on Geo Force.Meanwhile, Violet and Tatsu are driving back to Gotham with Creeper and the captured Killer Croc when out of no where Tatsu's two dead sons and her dead husband appear out of the shadows and level their truck. Tatsu is taken back for a moment but a fight quickly ensues as Violet attempts to burn them and they keep coming. Not a bad issue, not a great issue. I'm just thankful that Pete Tomasi did his homework about Terra and bridged two stories.

3 out of 5

Adventure Comics #4

Superboy Prime was returned to his earth during "The Legion Of Three Worlds" miniseries. On his homeworld, he doesn't have any of his "Superboy" abilities and now just reads comics about the world he attempted to destroy and blogs about it. In reading "Adventure Comics #4", he see's that he's about to become part of the story once again when Alexander Luthor is resurrected and comes looking for him. It's oddly entertaining watching as SuperBoy Prime goes to hunt down info on "Adventure Comics #5" and it's final outcome. Does he die? Do the Black Lanterns win? What happens next? We'll all have to wait until the next issue.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

They say you really never get over your first love. That is as true for starships as it is for people. As one of those life long Trekkers who has been on board since September, 1966 , MY first love is The U.S.S.S. Enterprise NCC1701…no bloody A…B….C….OR D! While I have watched, enjoyed and even loved the spinoffs (my favorite being Deep Space Nine) nothing ever replaced the grand old original Enterprise in my heart. Back in 1978 every critic with a typewriter was panning Star Trek the Motion Picture, especially criticizing the film for the five minute flyby beauty shot of the Enterprise. I thought it was the best part of the movie! Which brings us to today…May anyway, and the release of Star Trek (the Reeboot!). I was able to get my hands on a copy of the BluRay release a full week ahead of time and I had it booting up in the PS3 before my front door even closed! Star trek goes into general release on DVD and BluRay on November 17th and it MUST take it’s place in your video library.

(You can order yours through CBJ, saving time on those pesky Best Buy lines!...unabashed CBJ plug!!)

This review will cover the BluRay release.First the movie itself:

Despite the protests of the Watchmen faithful it was Star Trek that was THE blockbuster film of 2009 and it was not a close call. J.J. Abrams and a young cast that was able to evoke the original cast perfectly without imitating the original actors (Shatner, Nimoy et. Al.) . Has managed to make a 40 year old franchise of five live action and one animated series and eleven feature films (along with countless novels and comics) seem BRAND NEW. Unlike the sometimes plodding Watchmen, Star trek takes off from the very first frame and keeps you going right through the closing credits. (Which feature the original Alexander Courage theme!).

Frankly, they got everything right here. Abrams captured the optimism and energy of the original series. Chris pine captures the swagger , humor and earnestness of James Kirk while never falling into a Shatner parody. Zachary Quinto seems the very quintessence of Spock. Karl Urban NAILS Dr. McCoy in a manner that would have delighted the beloved DeForest Kelly. And while Simon Pegg plays Scotty a bit more for laughs than Jimmy Doohan did, it just works wonderfully with this cast.

Then there’s Leonard Nimoy. Perhaps that should be “The Great” Leonard Nimoy, who lends his presence not simply as a symbolic passing of the torch but as an integral lead character in the film. Leonard looks positively reinvigorated in the role of Spock Prime and it is great to see him back. The scene between Nimoy as Spock prime and his younger/alternate version (Quinto) is worth the price of admission all by itself.

As to the plot …well it’s classic Trek. That is to say idealistic, imaginative, completely implausible, and delightful! Red Shirts get killed, green Orion girls look yummy and half dressed, Sulu brandishes a sword, Chekov is incomprehensible and Uhura is…well…delicious!Of course classic Trek has always been more about the core three (Kirk, Spock and Mc Coy) than the plots, and it is here that the film truly shines. They say you can’t go home again, and that you can’t recreate chemistry. Happily, in this case that is not true. Pine, Quinto and Urban have all the chemistry that Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelly possessed. That is a very good thing because without that chemistry, this film would have been completely derailed.

Ultimately we have yet another reboot that has worked to invigorate an aging franchise. Bond, Batman, Battlestar Galactica and now Star Trek have all been revived by “The Reboot”. Who would have bet that in 2009 Star Trek would be more vital than the comatose Star Wars franchise and a far more entertaining film that the much anticipated Watchmen?

Now to the BluRay package. It looks MARVELOUS. The 1080p transfer looks even better on your HDTV than it did in the theaters. In fact MOST BluRay disks look better than the theatrical releases because the movies are rarely in perfect focus in the theater. The Dolby True 5.1 soundtrack is a literal BLAST with the headphones on. It is exactly what we have come to expect in high def home entertainment.

There are plenty of extras like deleted scenes, a gag reel, a tribute to Gene Roddenberry, a virtual Enterprise, a digital copy of the movie and even an X-Box Star Trek DAC game trial. I am not normally one for all the extras but these really do add to the package.

So now to my SECOND CBJ plug. See the boys (and girls of course!) in the store and order your copy right away. Order two! One to play and one to go “ooooo I have TWO!”…well that’s just silly and you can hardly say “oooooo” in a manly way, which of course would not be a problem for anyone saying “oooooo” who is not actually a male…and Vulcans hardly ever say “ooooo” regardless of their gender. So order two to line the pockets of the corporate monolith that is Paramount!...either that or George Lucas gets the cash and we all know what happens when HE gets too flush…that’s right Jar Jar plush toys…bad video games, Hayden Christensen, dogs and cats living together…MASS HYSTERIA!!!

Keep the Galaxy safe from the ravages of rampant George Lucasism and buy Star Trek on BluRay and DVD!!!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Another week, another random ass comic.I LOVED this weeks book, so I'm going to jump right in.

From the MISC:A section, I pulled:

"Archibald Chases The Dragon" 1- shot

This book was ridiculous. In an extremely good way. OK, OK, OK, I know the reason I started writing this blog was to rip apart and make fun of crappy comics, but I can honestly say that this series is one of my favorites now. The Archibald stories are all told one at a time in 1-shot form. This being the second installment, I found it very easy to read not knowing what came before. Big plus there.

One thing that stood out immediately was the art of Grant Bond. It's incredible. The shading and colors are awesome. This issue was written by Dara Naraghi, another I've never heard of. The writing fits the art perfectly. Both the art and writing compliment the underlying comedy in this some-what mystery book.

The book starts off with the executive of the film studio Archibald works for talking to Satan. Great start. So, apparently, in the first instalment, Archibald's brother was killed, and he was blamed. After spending time in a mental institution, he was acquitted because it came to light it was really their director. So, after they explain that briefly, we meet Archibald. We find him in a bar, talking to a 'reporter', who is Satan in disguise. He send Archibald off to little China looking for the truth. He finds himself at the 'Red Lotus Lounge', an opium den. So awesome. After getting a little R&R he finds out he is suddenly getting a tattoo. After another few hits, he dreams the dragon tattoo came to life. Archibald wakes up to find all the men in the room dead, his tattoo gone, and the police on their way. While fleeing, he finds the dragon chasing him. After a pretty cool chase scene, he gets his ass saved by his new buddy Vermont. His full name being 'Vermont Loenard Hawkins III', which is an awesome name by any standards. After Vermont gets rid of the dragon, which was the tattoo after all, they chat a bit, and are ambushed by an assassin. This assassin, Xi-Wei, is the one Archibald thought killed his brother, and is also the one who did the amazing tattoo job. After finding she is not the killer, Archibald and Vermont are left off with some leads to the truth.

The issue also has two one page stories in the back. Both written by Dara, it was a cool little extra comical kick. Both artist putting their own spin on Archibald.The fist page (illustrated by Shawn Dickinson, to the left) was actually quite funny. The second (illustrated by Tom Williams) of the two was OK. They both prove how outlandish this book can be, without all the blood and violence.

Another cool little extra is the paper doll of Archibald on the back cover. Awesome.

So, now time for the heads.I'll give "Archibald Chases the Dragon"4 Dio heads out of 5

The book was just plain cool. I'm excited to grab the trade and read the whole story, which I suggest you do too. Everything from the art to the writing was good. Well, time to go read the trade, I can't wait.

Friday, November 13, 2009

I'll let the flier do the talking here. Make sure not to miss this once a year event. I promise you that you won't be seeing anything on this scale until next November!CBJ GRAPHIC NOVEL & TRADE RENTAL PROGRAM

Alright, the rental program is finally in full force! We here at Comic Book Jones are now giving you the option of renting graphic novels and trade paperbacks. It's a very simple system and we hope that you become a part of it and help it grow into something great. This is meant as a way to get you into books you wouldn't normally read, try stuff before you buy and/or catch up on a series you might be behind on.

Here's the breakdown of how it all works. All you have to do is pay $20 to join. With your initial membership you receive 10 points. All rentable books have a point value assigned to them depending on their monetary value. All rentals are for 3 days. When you've used up all your points you can buy more. The more points you buy at once, the more points you'll get for your money. So, with that said:

If you find that you like a book so much that you have to buy it, get a load of this - the cost of the rental will be deducted from a BRAND NEW COPY! How awesome is that?

In addition, if you have any old trade paperbacks, graphic novels or collections you don't want just bring them in and you will receive points towards the rental program. As time goes on we'll have a large selection of books for you to rent so help yourself out by helping us and bring your old crummy books to the shop!PICK EM' RAFFLE - HARDCOVER EDITION

Now that the Batgirl lithograph has found a new home its time to move on to the next one. We return once again to giving YOU the option of picking what you like. This week we'll be raffling off any three (3) Marvel Masterworks or DC Archive hardcover books that you choose. Any combination is fine! For those unfamiliar with these books they are the ultra classy, beautifully presented hardcovers that line the top of the store. Essentially, they are older stories presented in a remastered format and go for $49.99 a pop. SO, that means you'll be getting a prize worth around $150! Not too bad if I do say so myself, as always tickets are just $1 and you can buy as many as you like.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY PARTY

Thursday, December 17th marks our two year anniversary. Last year's event was huge and this year its going to be even bigger! The first phase of the day begins at the store where we'll be having a killer signing and a special (yet to be determined) sale throughout the day. So far we've got down the following:

Evan Dorkin (Beasts of Burden, Milk & Cheese)

Ken Haeser (Living Corpse)

Mike Lilly (Black Terror, Detective Comics, Nightwing)

Stephen Lindsay (Ham & Eggs, Jesus Hates Zombies)

Lauren Monardo (Ham & Eggs, Venture Bros.)

Alex Robinson (A Kidnapped Santa Claus, Box Office Poison)

The list may grow because we're still in talks with other creators to see who can come down, we'll keep you posted! The day doesn't end there though! Once we close our doors for the evening we will then be embarking to Cargo Cafe for a couple of drinks and celebratory tomfoolery so if you're of age make sure you come down and hang with us. As we get more information on this special day we'll be sure to send it to ya!

CREATOR OF THE MONTH - EVAN DORKIN

We're very pleased to announce that our featured artist of the month is Evan Dorkin, here's a little bio we set up and keep in mind that all the books he's worked on, including the incredible Beasts of Burden is 20% off. That includes comics and graphic novels! Here's a quick look at his work:

Homegrown Staten Island artist and writer

Creator of Milk and Cheese and Dork Comics

Recipient of several Eisner awards

Worked on many animated shows including Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Yo Gabba Gabba

His new mini series, Beast of Burden (alongside artist Jill Thompson) is one of Dark Horse's best sellers

Thursday, November 12, 2009

MAKE SURE YOUR AT THE CARGO CAFE @ 10PM FRIDAY NIGHT FOR COMIC BOOK JONES' AND BOUND FOR GLORY TATTOO'S CO-GRAND OPENING PARTY! It's going to be amazing. I don't think Cargo is going to be left standing after this party.

Secondly, No-Prize.com is undergoing a major overhaul. Please check it out and don't give up on me yet. We're going to be re-launching the site in January so bear with us for the time being.

Thirdly, got some old trades just sitting around that you've read like a billion times and you really have no use for other than to look at on your shelf? Bring them into the store. Here's why

TRADE PAPERBACK & GRAPHIC NOVEL RENTAL PROGRAM

We are in the midst of setting up a rental program for trades and graphic novels but we need your help to do it! If you are interested, start bringing your old graphic novels and other trade paperbacks into the store for credit towards rentals. They can be in any condition as long as they are READABLE.

Still ironing out all the details but the program is going to work like this: All you have to do is purchase a membership for $20, this starts you off with 8 points. You use these points to rent books, their point value being determined by the price of the book itself. You can purchase additional points or get them for free by attending events at the store or by spending a certain amount of money at the store. In addition, any books you bring in for the program will give you points to use towards rentals for yourself.

This is meant as a way to get you into books you wouldn't normally read or check out. To top it all off, any money you spend towards the rental of a book is deducted off the cost if you ultimately decide that you like it enough to purchase a brand new copy. So start getting those old books into the store!

I myself brought it a bunch of stuff and I'm all about this.

that said lets get down!

X-Force #21

Picking up where the Necrosha one shot left off, all hell is breaking loose on the newly formed Utopia. It's a who's who of dead mutants, hero and villain alike. It's a cool concept and all but I'm sorry it just doesn't have the same fire that "Blackest Night" does. For example, when Banshee shows up and starts kicking everyone's ass he turns around and realizes what he's doing and starts to apologize but quickly reverts back to his "Zombie" state and continues the attack, does this mean that under the Techno Organic Virus that some remnant of who these people were still remains and they'll eventually over come it and come back? If so it's a cheesy way to bring back countless numbers of dead characters. I'm sorry but at the end of the issue when Selene brings back the dead mutants of Genosha and the number of mutants in the world starts to grow exponentially its not a "oh man this going to be awesome" its more like "oh crap how are they going to ruin this and attempt to dig themselves outta this hole?". I'm a huge Marvel fan and I'm still interested in the idea but I don't like the way it's going so far, it just seems like a bad attempt at bringing back the mutant populace to it's once great numbers.

2 out of 5

The Ghoul #1

Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson's new book Ghoul dropped this week and I'm sad to say for a first issue it's really not impressive and falls short of new fans wanting to read on. The story is about Detective Lieutenant Lloyd Klimpt and The Ghoul (who looks like Solomon Grundy!) and how D.L Klimpt needs the Ghoul's help in finding out if a certain actress whose family dates back to the 1930's is one in the same as her mother and grandmother. What the hell does he need some big ass monster's help for that?? I'm lost. I feel silly saying that but I am, who needs some giant Ghoul to help figure a case out like that and to top it off before they start investigating this case, they have to fight the Devil and his demons because its "Walpurgisnacht" which I looked up and this is what I got:

"Main Entry: Wal·pur·gis NightPronunciation: \väl-ˈpu̇r-gəs-\Function: nounEtymology: part translation of German Walpurgisnacht, from Walpurgis St. Walburga dieda.d. 779 English saint whose feast day falls on May Day + German Nacht nightDate: 1823

1 : the eve of May Day on which witches are held to ride to an appointed rendezvous2 : something (as an event or situation) having a nightmarish quality"

Alright so issue 2 has some serious potential and from what I'm told this story ties into "Dead she said" and "City of others". If you haven't read those, well get to work and start trying to piece something together. Overall I'm not impressed with "The Ghoul" so far.

2 out of 5

Dark X-Men #1(of 5)

Another miniseries dealing with the "Dark X-Men" written by Paul Cornell (of Capt. Britain and MI-13 fame). This time around the team consists of Dark Beast, Mystique, Mimic and newly re-named Omega. Norman Osborn sends the team out to check on a town of people who nearly all walked off a cliff in some trance continuously saying "I'm an X-Man". Mystique goes above and beyond "evil" and guises herself as Jean Grey just to rub salt in the wounds. When they get to the hospital to speak to one of the people, Mimic and Omega go nuts and start tearing the town apart. Suddenly, a form escapes this man and it's none other than another long dead or thought dead mutant Nate Grey aka X-man from the "Age Of Apocalypse". You remember Nate, Dark Beast and The Sugar Man being the only three to make it through the M'Krann crystal and show up in the 616 Marvel Universe right? Do you remember how Nate died? He gave up his energy to the earth because towards the end of his series he'd become a shaman...Anyways, I loved his character back when and I still think he's awesome and has some serious potential to do either good or evil depending on who he sides with but..I'm not impressed because Marvel seems to be bringing back all these long dead characters. I'm sure there's something big planned for all the newly "reborn heroes and villains" but honestly, why kill them if you're just going to bring them back. It's all lost it's shock and awe since Superman died and came back. That ruined any death and return as being cool.

3 out of 5

Punisher Max #1

Jason Aaron writes crime stories like no other, if you've never read his DC Vertigo book "Scalped" then you're missing out on one of the best monthly titles out there. Aaron has become the "go to guy" over at Marvel being given the reins of Weapon X Wolverine and countless tales among the different Marvel books. Now his take on The Punisher, In the Max Universe, there are heroes and villains but they don't have super powers and they aren't invincible. It's more reality based. In this relaunch of the title Garth Ennis made so popular, Aaron comes up with the concept that the mob needs a "Kingpin", a boss of all bosses to fake out The Punisher and somehow take him out. Enter Wilson Fisk, bodyguard and now the figure who will pose as "The Kingpin" ( but we all know what's going to happen, it's just fun to watch his rise to power). It's as simple as that and just as fun reading. Steve Dillon (who drew the Marvel Knights Punisher with Garth Ennis) is back drawing our favorite vigilante and it's just all so frakkin cool. Pick this book up and get ready for some serious ish!

5 out of 5

SUPERGOD #1

Warren Ellis gives us his new mini about man making gods. This is what I'm talking about. This is Mr. Ellis in his prime element of writing. The story starts off with a scientist in England talking to an American about what had happened to bring about the end of the world. He begins to explain how different countries each brought about bringing some semblance of superhero / god to life. I really don't want to ruin the details because it's really good. Ellis really researches his work prior to writing and you can see it because he makes good points of reference that make you stop and think "oh man could this really happen?". I've said it before and I'll continue to say so "Warren Ellis writing books for Marvel and DC, hit or miss. Warren Ellis writing his own books, ALWAYS A WINNER!".

5 out of 5

Green Lantern Corps #42

The Black Lanterns are full and have now just turned their attention to destroying the Central Power Battery on Oa, the one and only power source to the Green Lantern Corps. If it's destroyed it's over and The Black Lanterns win. What do you do? What are you willing to sacrifice to stop the dead from destroying everything? Kyle Rayner answers that question by losing his life. That's right I said it. This is the issue that is going to be sought after. Kyle Rayner in a fight to survive and stop the Black Lanterns from destroying everything, sacrifices his life. Yes he is dead and his ring goes off looking for a replacement. This issue is really a turning point as far as I'm concerned because the Black Lanterns aren't fighting or looking to enlarge their ranks anymore, like hive minded ghouls, they just stop once they are 100% powered up and all move in on the Battery. They can be defeated but at what cost and how many of our favorite superheroes lives will be lost?

5 out of 5

R.E.B.E.L.S #10

In the midst of attempting to stop Lord Starro from taking over the universe with his Starro's and save his son from being a pawn in Starro's plan, Vril Dox and his ragtag team must now face the reanimated Black Lantern's of his dead wife Stealth and Harbinger. Not only does he get to fight them but he becomes a Sinestro Corps Lantern. How freaking cool is that? It's about time when a Lantern of any color dies that someone within proximity gains their ring. REBELS is such a good book to start with but this tie-in with Blackest Night just makes it that much sweeter. Who wouldn't want to see a Brainiac with a 12th level intelligence become a Yellow Lantern because he can instill great fear into people. Awesome!

5 out of 5

Booster Gold #26

Booster feeling sorry for himself travels back to Ted Kord's real funeral where his family of heroes show their last respects. Booster reflects on all his mistakes and wonders what if people had really given Ted the respect he deserved and didn't treat him like a Z list hero that just happen to make it onto Max Lord's Justice League. In the present Rip Hunter is looking for Booster because The Flash's message about Blackest Night has made it's rounds and he wants Booster for whatever reason, little do they know Ted Kord aka Blue Beetle is now a Black Lantern and on his way to go see his best friend Booster Gold. B.L Blue Beetle attacks Booster's relative Daniel Carter aka SuperNova at his home looking for Booster. Skeets and Jaimie Reyes Blue Beetle show up looking for Booster and just so happen to walk right into Ted Kord destroying everything. Booster finally shows up and can't believe his eyes when he sees his best friend back from the dead trying to kill everyone. This to me is the typical "If your mother became a zombie would you shoot her" scenario. It's not a bad issue but I can't wait to see what happens next when Booster actually has to make the choice of fighting his friend or die trying.

As you (hopefully) aware, Jesus Hates Zombies Vol. 3 comes out in about a week. And since sleep is for sissies, I've been hard at work every night on Vol. 4. Here's the thing - from the beginning I've been planning to have Vol. 4 be linked in a big way to one of my earlier horror books called Happy Panda Funtime Show. Happy Panda has been available through Indy Planet for quite a while, but it never really found an audience.

SO, for those people who dig Jesus Hates Zombies and want to get the connection between it and Happy Panda, I've got the entire Happy Panda one-shot available on my website.

All you need to do is go here and you can read the whole damn thing! It's that simple.

See, I gave you something, and this time you don't even need to go see the Doctor! Ain't I a sweetie?

I'll see you all in December, my lovelies! In the meantime, give Socko and Tiger big kisses for me, and give Waffle a little tickle on his undercarriage (he deserves it).

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Seventy-nine years after his death just the name Lon Chaney conjures up vivid images.

The Phantom Of the Opera

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

London After Midnight

Millions of people who NEVER SAW A SINGLE LON CHANEY FILM know him as The Man of 100 Faces! How can a silent film actor, most of his films lost forever, have created such and indelible image? What is it about Chaney that eclipses even his own son , Lon (Creighton) Chaney Jr. who essayed the iconic Wolfman for Universal Studios? What are the myths and what are the facts surrounding one of the most important figures in film history?

Myth #1 – Chaney was a “horror” actor. In fact Lon never made a horror film. His two most famous films (Hunchback and Phantom) were period romantic thrillers. He was closer to Hitchcock than Roger Corman. In The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Lon plays the deformed but very human and HUMANE Quasimodo. In Phantom he portrays a very similar, if less humane character, in Erik a disfigured musical genius who is driven by unrequited love. Even in the lost London After Midnight, Chaney plays a character PLAYING a vampire in a detective story. Lon was in fact the premier character star of his era. He has been compared to Humphrey Bogart and this is an insightful observation. Chaney made a great many gritty crime films such as The Penalty and While The City Sleeps. He played character heroes such as O’Hara, in perhaps his finest performance in “Tell It To The Marines”. Like Bogart, Chaney was a marvelously nuanced actor with great emotional range. His acting style was far more realistic and modern than most of his contemporaries.

Myth #2 – Chaney was a “makeup” artist first and an actor second. Again untrue. Chaney was indeed a master of film make up techniques and truly The Man Of A Thousand Faces. However in a great many of his films Lon used no make up at all. In the afore mentioned Tell it To The Marines and While the City Sleeps Chaney goes sans makeup. In “The Unholy Three” plays both in AND out of make up. For Lon, makeup was never used to create a character, it was used to ENHANCE a character. If it was not needed, he eschewed it’s use.

Myth #3 – Chaney was a masochist. Stories abound about how Lon used makeup appliances that caused him great pain and that he even sought out that pain to enhance performance. This is also untrue. Legend has it that in Hunchback, Lon wore a 50lb rubber hump that caused him agonizing pain. In fact he wore a 5-15lb PLASTER hump that was very easy to work in. Stories exist about he deformed his nose with pins for Phantom, when in fact he exposed his nostrils for the Skull faced Erik merely by using theatrical fish skin. It makes no sense that Lon would risk injuring himself, and putting himself out of work, to create an effect for a film. Chaney was an actor’s actor and a complete professional. As a professional he would never risk himself at the expense of the production.

Here are some truth’s about Chaney

Truth #1 – Lon Chaney was an important figure in Silent Film. Absolutely. At the height of his career, Lon was one of the two or three biggest stars of his era. Second, only to Chaplin himself. Lon essayed roles in many of the biggest box office films of his day including Phantom, The Hunchback, The Miracle Man, Tell it To The Marines, West Of Zanzabar and The Unholy Three. His popularity in his time was as great or greater than stars like Valentino and Fairbanks. And even in his time he was thought of as the preeminent ACTOR in the industry.

Truth #2 – Chaney was an advocate for the crews that worked on his films. Chaney in fact went out of his way to look after his fellow actors and the crews that worked on his movies. He made sure that his crews were paid top dollar and when he found that the director of Laugh Clown Laugh was unfairly cruel to the 15 year old Loretta Young, Lon took her under his wing and the abuse stopped. Lon was in fact a good friend and devoted husband to his wife Hazel.

Truth #3 – The Man of A Thousand Faces was also a man of many VOICES. Unlike many silent film stars there is every reason to believe Lon would have been an even bigger star in talkies. Chaney died in 1930, at the age of 47, after having made only one sound film. It was a remake of the Unholy Three. In that film he uses no less than THREE voices. One for the old woman he portrays within the film as a cover for his crime gang, the other as professor Echo and the third as the DUMMY. Chaney had a good, solid speaking voice and recorded very well on the primitive VitaPhone device used in early talking films.

My first exposure to Chaney was in the form of grainy photographs in Famous Monsters Of Filmland and an equally grainy print of The Phantom Of The Opera shown on WNET back in the late 1960s. I was and remain hooked on the films of the great Chaney. Happily, with the advent of digital film restoration, many of his greatest films are now available in extremely nice prints at the original frame rates. These films are gems of the silent era and well worth your consideration.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Before I dive head first into today's craptastic issue, I'd like to say that I've finally caught myself up on X-factor. All I have to say about it is 'WOW'. If you've never read the book before, new or old, pick up the trades, believe me, it's worth every penny.

So, from the illustrious $1.00 section, this week's book is:

'Warriors of Plasm' #1

The first thing I noticed about the book was the David Lapham (Stray Bullets, Young Liars) did the cover and interiors. This had me ready for good things. The book was really good until I had to start reading what Jim Shooter had written. The dialogue in this book can be described and one thing, verbal diarrhea. Meaningless conversation panel after panel. I didn't know what was going on until page 10, at least. It comes as a total surprise that Defiant Comics went under, with super high quality books like this. Thank GODLapham had a career after this.

So down to why this book sucks, the story is so dumb and pointless it's not even funny. The book starts on the planet Plasm, a living organism that needs to devour other planets to survive. Sounds familiar.... Well, their next target is Earth. So they abduct 5 humans. From Jersey. That's a good way to studies the human race, 5 people from Jersey. They do their tests and set them free. Well, alter their genes, then set them free. You don't see them free on earth at the end of the issue, but they talk about letting them go. The sometimes non-sensible ramblings leave much to be desired in a first issue. While a slightly borrowed idea, not a terrible one. If better written I would have searched out the rest of the series based on the concept alone. It could have been worth to see where it goes, but Shooter just plain ol' sucks the big one.

So, this week I'll give "Warriors of Plasm" #11.5 Dio heads out of 5

The book sucked. Plain and simple. The extra half head is only because Lapham's art is extraordinary. That's it. I wish there was more to say other then Jim Shooter sucks.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

We've got a TON of news to talk about this week including more details on our new rental program, our famed Black Friday sale, our grand opening party and of course our second anniversary party which will be kicking off on December 17th. Here we go!

TRADE PAPERBACK & GRAPHIC NOVEL RENTAL PROGRAM

We are in the midst of setting up a rental program for trades and graphic novels but we need your help to do it! If you are interested, start bringing your old graphic novels and other trade paperbacks into the store for credit towards rentals. They can be in any condition as long as they are READABLE.

Still ironing out all the details but the program is going to work like this: All you have to do is purchase a membership for $20, this starts you off with 8 points. You use these points to rent books, their point value being determined by the price of the book itself. You can purchase additional points or get them for free by attending events at the store or by spending a certain amount of money at the store. In addition, any books you bring in for the program will give you points to use towards rentals for yourself.

This is meant as a way to get you into books you wouldn't normally read or check out. To top it all off, any money you spend towards the rental of a book is deducted off the cost if you ultimately decide that you like it enough to purchase a brand new copy. So start getting those old books into the store!

ORIGINS OF BATGIRL FRAMED LITHOGRAPH RAFFLE SIGNED, SKETCHED, AND NUMBERED BY CARMINE INFANTINOAnother week, another raffle! This time we are raffling off an "Origins of Batgirl" framed lithograph signed and numbered by artist Carmine Infantino. This is a limited and rare piece that features original sketches at the bottom of the lithograph. It retails for around $250. As always, tickets are only $1 per raffle. Make sure you don't miss the chance to win this awesome piece of art! This raffle ends on Wednesday, November 11th.

JOINT GRAND OPENING PARTY FOR COMIC BOOK JONES AND BOUND FOR GLORY TATTOO SHOP!

Yes, I know we've been open for almost two years now but we actually never had a grand opening party! So, we're gonna finally get it done and do it right alongside our buddies at Bound For Glory Tattoo. We'll have tattooed go-go dancers, sideshow freaks and other assorted wackiness and it all takes place down at Cargo Cafe on Bay Street on Friday, November 13th starting at 10:00 PM. We better see all you crazies there! If you need directions or any additional info be sure to shoot us an e-mail or call us at the store.

BLACK FRIDAY SUPER SALE!

I'll let the flier do the talking here. Make sure not to miss this once a year event. I promise you that you won't be seeing anything on this scale until next November!

CREATOR OF THE MONTH - EVAN DORKIN

We're very pleased to announce that our featured artist of the month is Evan Dorkin, here's a little bio we set up and keep in mind that all the books he's worked on, including the incredible Beasts of Burden is 20% off. That includes comics and graphic novels! Here's a quick look at his work:

Homegrown Staten Island artist and writer

Creator of Milk and Cheese and Dork Comics

Recipient of several Eisner awards

Worked on many animated shows including Space Ghost Coast to Coast and Yo Gabba Gabba

His new mini series, Beast of Burden (alongside artist Jill Thompson) is one of Dark Horse's best sellers

Thursday, November 5, 2009

When I was growing up as a kid in Canarsie, most of my friends wanted to be big league ballplayers. They saw themselves hitting a homerun to win the World Series. My own dreams were a bit more modest. I wanted to WRITE about it!. My heroes were the Maddens, Starks and Gallos. And so today I am going to write my very first baseball column!

So what if it is my very first baseball column posted on a Comicbook site? Complain too much and I might frag ya with my adamantium Louisville Slugger…

Last night the New York Yankees christened their brand new billion dollar playground with their 27th World Championship. 27th…just roll that around your brains for a moment. Not only is it far and away the most championship in Major League Baseball, it is the most championships of ANY professional sport. It speaks to a tradition to excellence that goes back to the 1920’s and has continued pretty much unabated to this day. Here is something else to chew on…

This year the Yanks won their 40th AL pennant since 1923, which means that the Bombers have appeared in nearly HALF the World Series over that span.

I realize that a great many people will point to the Yankee pocketbook as the reason that they have been winners. To which I say BLEAH! To be sure money IS a great advantage and allows you to eat your mistakes. BUT money does not guarantee championships. All you need to do is look at the Yanks since 2000 and the Mets over in the NL in recent years. Your front office must spend the money wisely. They must put together a TEAM that is given an opportunity to succeed . And they have to be lucky enough to stay healthy and avoid the mine field that is the current two tiered playoff system.

The 2009 Yankees did all those things. They played tough. They played with heart, leading the Majors in come from behind wins. They pitched, and played their best defense in years. When confronted by the World Champion Phillies who were the very best team in the NL, the Bombers flat outplayed them.

We saw one player find vindication – A-Rod will never again hear the word “choke” as an addendum to his name. he showed us all why he is the best player of his generation and the most gifted Yankee since Mickey Mantle.

We saw another player show his value – Jorge Posada missed almost all of last season to injury and it was no coincidence that the Yanks failed to make the playoffs since 1995. Jeter is the Captain of the Yankees, Jorge is the heart.

We saw a Hall Of Famer showing us all why he is a winner – Derek Jeter hit .407 in the series, scoring five runs and playing great defense. Derek is described by his peers with the highest praise. They call him a “winner”

We saw how Baseball is truly an international game – Hideki Matsui, WS MVP!We saw an old warhorse go to war again – The gutty, gritty Andy Petitte won all THREE clinching games in the post season and was not to be denied even on three days rest.And finally…the incomparable Mariano Rivera who gave up ONE run in 16 innings this post season and NONE in the World Series. Want to know the difference between the Yankees and everyone else? It is MO. He was the only closer IN the Post season not to have at least one implosion that cost his team a game. Last night when the Yanks were up 7-3 in the 8th and the Phils saw Mariano they knew it was over.

Baseball has become a 12 month a year sport and the Hot Stove Season is poised to begin. In short order we are going to hear about all the “holes” the Yankees need to plug in order to repeat. But that is for tomorrow.

For today the Yanks are World Champions. There is a parade outside my office window tomorrow here on lower Broadway.

I'd just like to say to all my fellow NY Yankees fans, Congrats. It was a good World Series and the Phillies weren't a pushover. Moving right along...

Don't forget! Next Friday the 13th @ Cargo, CBJ is finally having its GRAND OPENING PARTY along with our friends over at BOUND FOR GLORY TATTOOS. It starts @ 10 and is going to be crazy fun. Mark your Calendar NOW!

Now onto what I thought was rockin and what sucked in the world of comics this week.

Stumptown #1

Did you happen to see this title on your checklist this week? Did you happen to walk past it when you were picking out your books yesterday? Well stop. look down. pick up this book and read it. In fact, buy it, go home and read it and then thank me. Greg Rucka's new book Stumptown dropped this week and it's awesome. Dexedrine C. Parios who everyone calls "Dex" is a private investigator as well as a bad gambler. She finds herself in the hole for 17,000 and change to the Confederated Tribes Of The Wind Coast Casino. She is given a do or die deal where she has to find the Casino owners grand daughter. From there it's twists and turns as she begins to put the pieces together and starts finding out that this is some smaller piece to something way bigger. Fans of Ed Brubaker's Criminal, Jason Aaron's Scalped and crime noir books in general will fall head over heels for this book. It's only the first issue and already I want more. Here's a little food for thought: This is what "Dex" was named after.

Dextroamphetamine is a psychostimulant drug which is known to produce increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and decreased appetite.

5 out of 5

Haunt #2

Last month I said how much this book felt like it was the bastard child of Spawn. Simple because Todd Mcfarlane is one of the writers and I felt his influence all over the place. This issue I get my foot put in my mouth up to the knee. Robert Kirkman is the other writer on the book and in this issue you really get the sense that he's the one driving the car. Our story continues as Daniel and the recently deceased Kurt Kilgore combine to become Haunt.. actually... we don't know the amalgamations name yet. After stopping some hit men from gunning down Kurt's wife, they call in a specialist to clean up the mess they've made disemboweling said hit men. Without giving away the rest of the story it's not the bastard child of Spawn. Kirkman really shines in his writing. The conversations between the Kilgore brothers when they're combined and apart are very reminiscent of "The Walking Dead", "Invincible" and even "Marvel Team-Up". One brother has been trained to be a killer and the other is so desensitized by his brother's stories that killing doesn't affect him like he thought it would. Mcfarlane's elements aren't lost either but nicely tucked into Kirkman's dialogue. The espionage and crime feel are a major layer in the story but not the overall flavor of the book as a whole. Not to mention that Greg Capullo and Ryan Ottley do an amazing job of complimenting each others work. I hope this book continues the way it's going because it's got a lot of potential.

5 out of 5

Deathlok The Demolisher #1

In a near distant future, corporate governments no longer have wars or conflicts on their own or foreign soil but battle it out in THE BATTLEZONE! Thats the premise of this new take on Deathlok. Charlie Huston takes the basic premise of a solider turned into a cyborg for profit and sport and gives it the modern day twist of our own professional athletes hungry for fame and fortune.In this future, The Roxxon Broadcast Company airs Battlezone in which nations battle with teams of troops instead of whole armies over their conflicts. Combatants just like sports players gain stats known as kill points for each death on the battlefield, depending on what type of kill they make they get extra points, i.e; a close kill is worth more points than a ranged kill. The star player of BattleZone is Mike Travers, a cocky, over the top one man show who doesn't care about strategy or who he's fighting for or why just that he wants to continue his endorsements and keep his kill points up. This book thus far hits the nail on the head and hard. Huston like I said takes the sports theme and really gives it the one two punch. Travers character is so concerned with being in the limelight that when he's told he's going to be given command of his own squad and needs to be concerned with caring for their lives along with winning, he just brushes it off and makes snide comments and rushes off to get interviewed. Travers character mirrors many examples of how fame and fortune go to your head just like many of our favorite players do. From murder to drugs, just because your famous you think your unstoppable."Deathlok" didn't even show up in the issue and it was awesome. Great set up and some really well placed undertones. Any fan of Deathlok, Rollerball or the Running Man will really enjoy this book. It's a seven issue mini-series so if this is an example of what's to come, I'm stoke.

5 out of 5

Cinderella: From Fabletown with love #1

Spinning out of the pages of probably the best monthly book Fables, comes this mini-series starring everyone's favorite princess turned spy Cinderella. Agent Glass Slipper is given the task of finding and recovering magical items of power from their homelands that have made their way into the Mundy world aka our world. Cinderella is the James Bond of Fabletown. She owns a shoe store as well as globe trots on missions dealing with Fabletown. She's got fables that she's been using as agents since her first coming to the Mundy world after escaping the homelands during the emperor's rule. Quickly given information from both Beast (of beauty and the beast) and Frau Totenkinder (the witch from Hansel and Gretel) about the situation of how these artifacts need to be obtained quickly before exposing Fabletown along with the homelands being up for grabs since the fall of the empire. Cinderella is given no easy task and makes her way towards the beginning of her adventure. If you're not reading Fables then get to work on that ASAP because it truly is the best comic out there in my opinion. This series I'm sure will have some ramifications of the core book in some future storyline so keep your eyes open. Great set up and quick movements make this book worth the read and something extra for fans of Fables.

5 out of 5

Doom Patrol #4

This weeks serving of Blackest Night is Doom Patrol #4. I'll say this off the bat, I'm not the biggest fan of the new Doom Patrol book and I think Keith Giffen has been taking his time molding the book into what his interpretation is, not a bad thing but four issues in and it's still sludgy. This being a Blackest Night tie in makes this issue a little better. The Doom Patrol are no strangers to members dying and this is where Giffen really has some fun. He's got a bullpen of dead characters to play with and this is just the first part of the story. All in all not a bad issue. I'm curious to see what happens next and I think everyone else is too.